Episode Archive

More than 1500 episodes* on just about any kind of thing you can think of. Collectively, we call it “stuff.” There’s definitely something in here that will pique your interest.

*We did the math once and listening every minute of every day, it would take more than a month to make it through the catalog. And what a month that would be!

The Amazing Life of Christine Granville

September 26, 2023 49 min

Christine Granville was about as James Bond as it gets. Stories of her life as a spy during World War II are legendary. Today we'll tell her story. 

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Selects: Cockney Rhyming Slang: Beautiful Gibberish

September 23, 2023 42 min

What is Cockney Rhyming Slang? It's complicated and its origins are unclear. Learn everything we know about it today in this classic episode.

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Kombucha: Fizzy Goodness

September 21, 2023 47 min

Kombucha is pretty popular right now. But what is it exactly and where did it come from? The answers await you!

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Short Stuff: Origin of Math Signs

September 20, 2023 11 min

Have you ever stopped mid-pencil mark and realized to your astonishment where the plus sign came from? Then this one’s for you.

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10ish Worst Business Decisions Ever

September 19, 2023 51 min

It’s easy (and kind of fun) to laugh at the misfortune of CEOs and other high up business types when they bring it on themselves – so let’s do that now. Herein lies some of the worst business decisions ever made, hindsight being 20/20, of course.

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Selects: How Floods Work

September 16, 2023 33 min

Floods happen when more water is introduced to an area than can be quickly removed. That's about it, but there's more to floods, what causes them and the havoc they can wreak. Join Josh and Chuck in this super-saturated classic episode of Stuff You Should Know.

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The Hyatt Regency Skywalk Disaster

September 14, 2023 40 min

In 1981 America suffered the worst accidental structural collapse in its history. Listen in today to the tragic story of the fast-tracked building disaster that stills haunts Kansas City. 

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Short Stuff: Why Spilling Salt is Unlucky

September 13, 2023 11 min

Face it, when you spill salt your life goes totally off the rails, maybe even forever. Fortunately, we humans stumbled upon the one reliable way to counteract that bad luck by tossing some over our left shoulder.

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Axolotls: The Smiling Salamander from Mexico

September 12, 2023 48 min

It’s a listener request! Axolotls are one of the more amazing animals roaming the planet right now – they can regenerate parts of their brains, can fight off tumors, are found in the wild only in one single lake? And did we mention they smile all the time?

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Selects: How Space Stations Work

September 9, 2023 48 min

It seems like we largely take it for granted these days, but the fact that we have humans living in space is the realization of a scientific dream a century old. Visit the space stations orbiting Earth past, present and future in this classic episode.

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